Infancy Narrative

Star of Bethlehem Coin

This coin of Antioch is often referred to as the “Star of Bethlehem” coin. It is a bronze coin that was first minted around 5/6 AD and coins in this series were minted 11-14 AD. This coin is from the later part of this series.

It is called “the Star of Bethlehem” coin because of a book by the same name written by Michael Molnar. In this book Molnar combines his knowledge of astronomy with his hobby of ancient coins. Molnar points out that the RAM was a symbol of the people of Judea and the planet Jupiter did pass through this constellation around 6 BC. Currently 6 BC is around the time that we think Jesus of Nazareth was born.

What I understand happened to Molnar was that he began to study astrological events around the time of Christ because of this coin. The coin obviously was not minted by Roman authorities to celebrate the birth of Jesus. But this coin of 6 AD helped him discover an interesting event from the year 6 BC. A celestial event that could have been understood by the people of that day as the sign of a great King to be born in Judea

Since I made reference to this book I think it is best I give a little more details. The Star of Bethlehem: The Legacy of the Magi is a book by Michael Molnar published in 1999. The book is a result of Molnar having purchased a bronze coin of Antioch with a Ram and star on it. The Ram represents the constellation Aries and the star could represent the planet Jupiter. Thus begins Molnar’s search to understand how the people of this time understood astrology and to see if there was any insight from all this into the Star of Bethlehem. He discovered that the constellation Aries was understood as a symbol of the land of Judea and this was why the coin was minted because Judea had just been annexed to Rome. However with the planet Jupiter also represented on the coin it could have seen later on by Christians as having a connection with the birth of a King.

Here is the order of events as I understand them. 1) In 6BC the planet Jupiter passed through the constellation Aries. 2) In 6AD a coin was minted with a Ram and a star to celebrate the Roman Annexation of Judea. 3) Years later in Antioch Christians began to link the coin symbols with the Birth of Jesus. 4) When the Gospel Infancy Narratives were written they were influenced by the oral tradition of the birth of Christ that developed in Antioch. Therefore when you find passages like the star “went before” and “stood above” it is a reference to the movement of the planet Jupiter through the constellation Aries. People of this day would have understood the symbolism to mean that a King had been born in the land of Judea.

Whether or not you go along with his theory the book is a good read because he helps one understand the influence that the “heavens” had on the people of this time. From a numismatic point of view it also sheds light on some of the symbols that will be found in ancient coins.